No help for United

It was a rough Thursday night for D.C. United, which hoped for two results from two games that impacted two different qualifications -- and neither came through.

Marathon defeated Jabloteh, 4-2, to clinch second place in the group and eliminate United from the CONCACAF Champions League, while the Chicago Fire downed Chivas USA, 1-0, to clinch second place in the Eastern Conference.

Where does that leave United going into tomorrow's regular season finale at Kansas City? Well, they are one of six teams fighting for two playoff spots...but they are very much in the same place they were before, players and coaches said today.

There's not much D.C. can do at this point except for worry about their own game against the Wizards, everything after that is just a matter of watching and hoping. Certainly there will be people keeping an eye on the scores for games involving Toronto, Colorado, Dallas and New England, but United needs to take care of business first and foremost.

"We've been saying all along we have to take care of what we can control and we have a game now to win and what happens elsewhere really doesn't concern what we're trying to do this weekend," veteran midfielder Ben Olsen said. "If we win hopefully that stuff will play out in our favor, but the thing we can control is Kansas City."

According to the MLS site, here is what D.C. United needs to qualify for the playoffs going into tomorrow's game:

If DC is the only team tied on 39 points to win, they will qualify
If DC wins and Colorado wins AND New England OR Toronto win, they cannot qualify (unless DAL, DC AND TOR win - decided by goal differential)
In the case of a tie on 40 points (RSL win, DC tie), DC will qualify ONLY if FC Dallas AND DC tie, or if DAL AND DC AND TOR tie

It will be interesting to see how D.C. United comes out formation-wise and mentality-wise. They need a win, they need to push forward, but they also can't expose themselves at the back early -- especially on the road. There should be some interesting lineup calls, as well, when you consider the need for some veteran presence in such a key game, but while also hoping for a dynamic attack that can score goals.

I'll try to sum up the sense of pressure, approach, etc., to tomorrow's game as well as the playoff picture in tomorrow's paper. Because I'm going to be working elsewhere tonight, this likely will be the last blog until tomorrow -- barring breaking news.

Speaking of news, the only update out of RFK today was that Andrew Jacobson, who had previously been listed as doubtful in the injury report, is now probable.

Feel free to comment away on who you think should be in the lineup tomorrow, what formation they should go to and how you see the critical games breaking down. I've got my own opinions and I'll be keeping an eye on what you say, too.

Uhmm if they wouldn't have tied so many matches period, and lost matches at home they had no business losing this wouldn't be an issue. I'll be rootin' em' on to victory tomorrow, but I'm not holding my breath the results roll our way.

Hopefully there are a nice core of dudes who stick around for next season, and someone stumbles on a dusty shelf full of Killer Instinct in the offseason and force feeds the boys some of the stuff.
Vamos United!

We don't control our own destiny but with a win in KC have a fairly decent chance to make the playoffs:

If Colorado fails to win at their Rocky Mountain rivals RSL and if injury riddled and toothless New England can't win at league leader Columbus, then DC would be in the postseason (assuming a win at KC).

RSL will be motivated as they are still alive (although their chances are slimmer than ours) and playing their regional rival.

Hopefully Columbus will want to finish the regular season strongly in front of their crowd as they receive the Supporter's Shield.

My big worry is whether DC can adapt to the oxygen-thick air in the lowlands of the American plains after the return from Toluca.

When you need to win a game, you need to attack. That means 3 in the back, 4 in the midfield, and 3 up top. Attack relentlessly, serve from the flanks quickly, and shoot often. Play nothing short -- everything goes in the box, including punts. High pressure on Kansas City's backs and midfielders. Get numbers forward and keep the ball there. Penetrate, penetrate, penetrate. If the ball goes backward, it's only to get it forward again on the next pass.

It won't be pretty all the team, but it's not about looks -- it's about winning.

If you're looking at just points, then you cannot discount the significance of all those early points DCU lost because of lousy officiating. However, United just isn't a very good team right now. If they miss the playoffs, it won't feel so unjust.

As much as I will be rooting for the boys it has been pointed out that if they fail to make the playoffs this year, they dug thier own grave. Losing is part of the game and can be accepted as long as the team tries but there were plenty of games our boys played uninspired this year. I hope the off-season is a few weeks away still but I am very curious to see which way mgmt takes this team next year. Inspired play starts with the head coach. VAMOS UNTIED!!

I'm not holding out a lot of hope about making the playoffs. Granted, DCU should beat a KC side with nothing to play for, but the same holds true of Toronto (playing the worst team in MLS) and New England (with the Shield locked up I imagine the Crew will rest numerous starters with the playoffs looming). AS far as I can tell, we do not hold the tie breaker over those two teams. Stranger things have happened, but I wouldn't count on it.

On the plus side, if we don't make the playoffs there will be very little schedule congestion next year...just MLS games and Open Cup. Let the rebuilding process begin.

Delantero:
How abouy McTavish for Lawson? And how about Khumalo, Simms, Szetela,Wallace in MF and Gomez, Pontius up front. Moreno and Shipalane for 2nd half mood changers on the bench? Olsen only if he is truly healthy. Luciano and Jacobson on the bench as well.

Complaining about the officiating isn't going to change anything. It also makes us sound like converted Seahawks/Sonics fans who don't know jack (Scroungers Scum). Bad calls happen in every league in the world(why don't they just pop beachballs in the UK?).

There were many games lost by United themselves. You can't leave it up to a bad call late in the match. Score early and often and have no mercy. United scraped back for draws late in a couple games this year and it showed a lot of heart, but none of that matters when you get to this point in the season.

That's how we lost to Toluca; we played nothing short. Short passes are needed to keep the ball. You can't win by playing kickball like 6 year-olds.

Posted by: 9Nine9 | October 23, 2009 5:25 PM

Somebody forgot to tell some of the European teams that, niner.

We're not looking for beauty points. United needs to win, not possess for the sake of possession. Numbers forward, create chances, score. The failure to create chances is why we're having this discussion in the first place.

Everyone is acting like this Kansas City game is a foregone conclusion. I would be surprised if we actually win this game. Josh Wolfe is still a dangerous player...Is Ben Olsen going to play? I hope not.

Gotcha, niner. Playing "direct" with a purpose demands a purpose -- it's one thing to kick-and-hope in the dying minutes of a game you're losing. It's another to tactically adjust your style to think forward more than re-loading and building up through possession.

I'm a possession guy (Arsenal, Barca), but sometimes you gotta think result over style. This is one of those times.

I have to disagree with you. This team has already endured enough tactical upheaval and abrupt changes; going to a 343 and playing super direct would have long odds of working no matter the opponent. Factor in KC's defense having an obvious aerial advantage over any of our forwards, and they would eat that approach up. Try to picture Emilio winning a header against Conrad...it's hard to do without also picturing a trampoline or some other jumping aid helping Luci out. We just don't have the players to successfully adapt to a direct style over 90 minutes.

KC's defenders, Conrad aside, aren't the best decision makers, while Conrad's weakness is mobility. That's where we have to take advantage. Doing so will require intelligent, sharp runs off the ball. We don't need the jogging, 30 yard moves into space. What we should look for are the 10-15 yard sprints off your man's shoulder that put the defender in a position where he has to do something other than keep the shape. Doing things with a sense of purpose will be key. Games on small fields don't settle in; they start as pinball and don't stop until it's done.

You are right about our need to avoid possession for possession's sake. C-A Ballpark is too narrow for us to expect long buildups. We have to approach this game like you'd approach a visit to Spartan Stadium back in the day. You can't waste the ball, but you also can't expect to have it for too long. Getting the ball forward quickly will be important, but it shouldn't be Allardyce-esque.

I also think three in the back will be a big problem for us in this one. KC creates through Lopez and Arnaud on the wings; giving them space is courting disaster. Combine that with Wolff's quality runs without the ball, and I'd be surprised if we held KC to even 2 goals. They would slice us up.

In a 442, we should have Vaughn and Burch under rather conservative orders to stay home and force Lopez and Arnaud to stay wide rather than cut in. I'll take my chances with them being reduced to a vanilla, "get wide and cross" approach rather than let them run at people. Given the narrow confines, we also need to win the midfield battle, which is why I'd move Pontius to right midfield (with Wallace on the left). I've been a strong advocate for Party Boy to stay up front, but I think in this case Khumalo doesn't offer the defensive work rate or quality that we'll need to ensure that the middle third is ours. I also think that Harrington will be bothered by not having an athletic advantage over Pontius, while on the other side Wallace should be able to constantly pressure Leathers both when we have the ball and when KC is trying to come forward.

Actually, on second thought, I might try an odd one and go with a front line of Gomez and Moreno. Emilio went 90 at Toluca, and I think KC will eat up his poor first touches. Moreno and Gomez will do a better job of finding Pontius and Wallace, who are in my opinion the keys to our ability to score in this one. There's also the fact that Gomez is a big game player; when we need a high quality performance from someone, he has delivered so many times. Keep Emilio and Khumalo available as reserves if we aren't in the lead (Khumalo could also be a useful card to play as a striker if we're up 1 and are looking to hit KC on the break).

"Individual tickets to United’s first round playoff game, if played, will be available immediately upon playoff qualification at four price levels: Spectator ($27), Premium ($35), VIP ($45) and Mezzanine ($60). Groups of 15 or more will get special discounted rates of $22 at the Spectator level, $30 at the Premium level, $40 at the VIP level and $50 at the Mezzanine level. Tickets are to be sold via dcunited.com and through all TicketMaster outlets."

...the irony of making the play-offs
oooh front office, how I detest you.

We supported and suffered this year.
And thats how they reward the loyal fan base...by increasing the ticket price in a recession...

What an absurd end to a season of MLS! 15 teams and 12 of them vying to win the MLS Cup still going into the final weekend of games. On Thursday New England fans allegedly rooted for the Chicago Fire to win to make their ascent to the playoffs more probable. Today a lot will be determined, it will be interesting how it unfolds.

In terms of the state of United... This season has had few ups but several downs, (Open Cup, CCL, several tough home losses to lowly teams). One of the positive things to take away from this season is the talent of the players they have brought into the club this year. In this upcoming offseason United will need to clean house to turn things around, but I do not think that requires a lot of player moves. What would be beneficial is finding a coach that can inspire players to preform to their potential.

If history repeats itself then we will be in the exact same postion next year: LAST DAY OF THE SEASON AND IN NEED OF WIN TO HAVE A HOPE TO MAKE THE PLAYOFFS. its what happened last year and its what will happen next year. Now I'm no soothsayer, just your average run of the mill hyperchicken... BAKAA....but if you ask me to set a lineup, I would probably do something like this:

A lot of ways you can change the game with the bench, but to start you have solid foundational players that are able to move a lot and create chances by running off the ball. I was disappointed when McTavish was taken out in the Toluca game considering it was right after he nearly had a diving header. After Soehn put Jakovic in he moved McT to the right mid in the time before he was subbed out. And in that short time he made a run into the box. United has been lacking players lurking in the box, making runs into dangerous positions. With Wallace, Pontius and McTavish I think you have that. And if that idea doesnt work, second half substitutions!

Considering this your options off the bench are:
Moreno'o-Emilio'o-Khumalo'o-Fred-Jacobson-Szetela-Shipalane

Altidore dropped out of Hull squad today for showing up late. That is a seriously bad move for a guy who had already been dropped to the subs bench in recent matches. I think he might struggle (again) got starts in this crucial season

If you want to make a marathon of this, I found the evening's first game (Toronto-Pink Cow) on FIOS channel 1495. Are there any area watering holes that would be likely to show this match (via FIOS or other sources), as well as the DCU-KC game on CSN+ and Colorado-RSL contest on FSC? A real glutton for punishment can stay up for the proceedings from Seattle (channel 1497, for FIOS types.)

Based on the analysis at BTB that Goff linked to earlier this week, if United draws or wins, its fate will not be determined before the result in Utah is in the books at the earliest (11:00 p.m. Eastern), and things could conceivably remain up in the air until the final whistle blows in Columbus (on BSPN2) tomorrow night.

An additional thought: Are there any soccer-friendly watering holes that offer free WiFi access, so that one can follow the action on one's 'puter starting with Toronto-Pink Cow, regardless of what is or is not available on their TV screens?

@universityandpark Are you sure that Tenorio is on the road in Kansas City for this match? I got the sense that he wasn't making the trip, but perhaps I missed something.

I agree with what was said that this match isn't a foregone conclusion. Winning this match, as when we won at Chicago late last season, would be a big accomplishment for this team, given their troubles in KC.

I wasn't too hopeful about Adu getting signficant minutes in Portugal, but the news about Altidore not making the bench for Hull City because he was late to the match is very disconcerting. He's a starter for our national team, as things stand, and he needs to get it together!

Are you sure that Tenorio is on the road in Kansas City for this match? I got the sense that he wasn't making the trip, but perhaps I missed something.
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You haven't missed anything. Goff simply said: "Colleague Paul Tenorio will handle DCU coverage." I can't remember any previous occasion on which the Post didn't send someone to cover an MLS contest one time zone away, let alone a game of this importance. If Tenorio isn't in KC tonight, we should all be greatly disappointed.

I wish I was going to the game tonight. As much as folks poke fun at the baseball stadium the Wiz play in, I'd bet all the money in my wallet that the grub and brew they have at the park is delicious.
Talk to me about some BBQ Pauly!
Vamos United!

Vamos United!
Sorry Jacob, I won't be any help until after the match. Headed over to the neighbor's to make the best of the match on it's own. No computer, no match trackers, or pirated feeds for me. Just good old fashioned gettin' hootin' and hollerin' with the converts tonight.
Vamos United!
Give me an opportunity to bring my daughter to her first game by making the playoffs!